Sask Party Political Attack Ad Tells the TRUTH (Can you handle it?)

The Sask Party have released a new attack ad focusing on Lingenfelter (For those of you out of the loop, Lingenfelter is not some new type of stinky cheese - it is the name of the current leader of the New Democratic Party in SK).

The ad is a real doozy that Saskies will get to watch on their TV screens over the next few months while it runs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPGRMk0h0vg

Let me be clear that I am no fan of either the Sask Party or "house band" NDP in Saskatchewan. I have a strict policy of equal opportunity scorn when it comes to SK political parties. Furthermore, I have stated here before my dislike of Brad Wall’s Fred Durst wannabe sideburns and Lorne Calvert’s heinous mug as the face of government for all those years. Heck, I still sometimes wake up from the occasional nightmare involving the ex-premier’s face chasing me around in a wheat field… although the fright may just as well come from the thought of having to live in Saskatchewan again.

The Sask Party attack ad is a real gem. It starts by saying:

“Ever since he moved back from Alberta, Dwain Lingenfelter has been running down Saskatchewan.”

The next part lists a series of ostensibly damning quotes from Lingenfelter.

“These [Saskatchewan] people are grumpy.”
“Our economy is in free fall”
“We have gone from boom to bust”
The Premier is a “loser”

The ad ends with the statement:

“Dwain Lingenfelter. No new ideas... down on Saskatchewan.”

So these are not new ideas? Grumpy people, a bombing economy, and a loser for a Premier are old hat in Saskatchewan? Actually, now that I think about it, Lingenfelter's comments provide very true descriptions of what it is like in SK, the place I call the “rectangle of regression.” Could this be the most accurate political attack ad ever made? Maybe it is not an attack ad at all, but a documentary on Sask culture, as told by a person who I am sure they will indeed name a cheese after one day.

A few other truisms can also be gleaned from the ad:
-Moving away to live in Alberta (or any other province) is what many people have done (including myself) since life is too unpleasant in Saskatchewan for anything other than gophers and crazy Rider fans. But to Sask people, moving away is akin to an act of treason.

-“Running down Saskatchewan” is something voters can relate to since no-one ever walks anywhere in the province – they only drive (a Sunfire, of course).
-Also, being “down on Saskatchewan” is frowned upon on the ad because it really is a terrible sin to say anything but specious niceties about the province when living in SK. It actually is the 11th commandment in SK: “Thou shalt not be down on Saskatchewan,” followed by the 12th commandment: “Thou shalt not crack jokes about Saskatchewan, ever, never, wherever.”

Oh, Father, I have sinned….

Tillman Resigns - A Provincial Day of Mourning

Well, Eric Tillman has done something the Saskatchewan justice system obviously could not: dish up a penalty for the sexual assault of his sixteen year old babysitter. In case you missed the news, Tillman was charged and found guilty of the charge of sexual assault. The judge, however, discharged Tillman with no penalty or criminal record, a sure sign that Rider management get the royal treatment in SK. That is, when they are not busy playing hut the ball with their babysitters.

So the supreme il duce leader of the Roughrider Nation will no longer serve as the team’s GM. I’ve been watching this story from afar and am glad to see that somebody had watermelons enough to do the right thing. He learned the hard way that you can work for the Roughriders but you can’t Roughride those who work for you.

I’ve been watching the fallout at the Rider Nation headquarters - http://www.riderfans.com/forum The reaction there is mixed at least, but more than a fair share of fans are angry to see a resignation. In addition to refuting the seriousness of the crime, they see no problem with Tillman staying on as GM. Sad.

So what’s next for Tillman? Who cares, really but I have five bucks saying he’ll shack up with another person who screwed Saskatchewan – Kent Austin – and film a sequel to Swingers. Gotta love them babies.

You can take them out of Saskatchewan but you can't take the Saskatchewan out of them

While it is true that I am an ex-pat who still loves to take shots at the province, I am NOT this guy!


Sask. ex-pat kept hunting in province, now faces fines
Used health ID to get big game licences

The StarPhoenix January 3, 2010

It was February of 2003 when Brian Larson left Saskatchewan for greener pastures in Alberta.

His Saskatchewan Health card expired a few months later -- but Larson held onto the number printed on it, and in 2005, 2006 and 2007, it allowed him to keep the same big game hunting privileges as any true resident of his home province. He used his father's post office box in the town of Brock as his "address" when filling out applications.

Conservation officers caught up to Larson on May 6, 2008, when they searched his uncle's farm near the small town of Mankota and seized six sets of antlers from whitetail and mule deer -- three from the farmhouse, two more from an outbuilding and one from a grain bin. FULL STORY

Rider GM Eric Tillman Gets Off..... The Hook, That Is....

In Saskatchewan, the word “Riders” is holy logos. People in the province won’t be able to tell you who their Lieutenant Governor is, but be damned sure they will be able to recite the entire starting lineup for their beloved Roughriders CFL football team. It’s a religion. And Rider coaching and management staff? They are royalty. And I don’t mean the quaint and nice type of royalty like Princess Di you find on ornamental plates; I mean the dirty, lecherous, power-hungry, hubris-soaked kind of royals you read about in Shakespearean plays.

*Enter stage right: General Manager of the Riders, Eric Tillman.*

Is it any real surprise that Mr. Tillman got off the hook for sexually assaulting a sixteen year old girl? The very foundation of Rider Pride was shaken to its core when allegations surfaced last year that he sexually assaulted a young girl. People in Saskatchewan were in shock. How could it be? Could the man with a hairdo that they modeled Chia-Pets and curling shoe cleaners after, could do such a thing? But one can never underestimate the commitment of Rider fans to their team and supreme leader. As of last month, the vast majority of Rider fans polled (obviously still delirious with denial) said “Keep Tillman on,” and regardless of the outcome of the trial. Then again, what else would one expect from people who make watermelons look smart when they are both seen together.

Tillman went on to plead guilty and apologized, yet also maintained that he had no memory of the incident due to medication he was on (most likely anti-depressants since he has to live in SK). And we find out today that he now has been given an absolute discharge and will have no criminal record thereafter. Just lovely. And during the so-called sentencing, he didn’t even have to sit in the prisoner’s box like any other accused – he was allowed to sit with his counsel. Talk about preferential treatment.

In the end, the judge deemed the incident “out of character” for Tillman. Good grief, are they close drinking buddies or something? The judge might as well have dismissed the charge as treasonous and a contravention to the [Rider] national interest. The judge could have also put his rider jersey and a water melon on his head to announce the judgement – then bust out a keg of 'Pil for all!

In the end, I’m sure people in SK will be cheering this mockery of justice, the same way they cheered on former Rider coach Kent Austin when he screwed the team again and skipped town for a better job in the US after one year. They really should change the Rider cheer to “Wham Bam Thank You M’am!” It would have to replace the current cheer “Riders Grey Cup! Next year FER-SURE!”

I bet Mr. Tillman will even join the ranks of Grant Devine one day and receive the prestigious Order of Merit for his deeds. Now, if only Saskies knew who handed Order of Merits out.